Spanoulis, Strelnieks star as Olympiacos sweeps champs

Olympiacos Piraeus registered its sixth consecutive home win by downing reigning Turkish airlines EuroLeague champion Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul 95-70 at Peace and Friendship Stadium on Thursday. Vassilis Spanoulis and Janis Strelnieks led the winners with 19 points apiece, combining for 8-of-8 three-point shooting. Georgios Printezis and Jamel McLean each added 12 points for Olympiacos, which hit 13 of 17 shots from downtown, a new club record and the fourth-best percentage in EuroLeague history. Ali Muhammed led Fenerbahce with 24 points. Spanoulis scored 14 points in the first quarter and got plenty of help from Printezis and Kostas Papanikolaou to give Olympiacos a 34-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. Fenerbahce improved its defense, allowing just 11 points in the next 10 minutes, and found a go-to guy in Muhammed, who brought the guests within 45-36 at halftime. Nothing changed after the break, as Olympiacos boosted its margin to 69-54 after 30 minutes behind an outstanding Strelnieks and kept a safe margin throughout the fourth quarter.

Spanoulis got Olympiacos going with a driving layup and Papanikolaou added free throws for a 6-2 lead. Jason Thompson and Luigi Datome hit back-to-back jumpers and Brad Wanamaker added a triple, but Printezis struck twice from downtown and added a jump hook for a 16-7 Olympiacos margin. The hosts kept rolling, as Papanikolaou dunked, Mantzaris hit a triple and a red-hot Spanoulis followed a reverse layup with back-to-back bombs from downtown to make it an 18-point game. Marko Guduric hit a jumper and added free throws to bring Fenerbahce within 34-18 after 10 minutes. Guduric kept pacing Fenerbahce with a three-pointer early in the second quarter and Muhammed followed foul shots with back-to-back bombs from beyond the arc to bring the guests within 38-29. Brian Robers and Strelneiks each struck from downtown, but Ahmet Duverioglu took over with a power layup and an unstoppable Muhammed made it 45-36 at halftime.

Nikola Milutinov and Spanoulis made free throws after the break and a floater by Printezis restored a 51-38 Olympiacos margin. Vesely dunked and Muhammed added a three-pointer, but Mantzaris and Spanoulis stepped up to give their team a 57-43 margin. Strelnieks had a layup off a steal and jumper in a 7-0 run that broke the game open, 67-48. Datome downed a jumper and got help from Duverioglu and Vesely to make it 69-54 after three quarters. McLean hit free throws and ignited the crowd with a dunk that sealed the outcome, 76-56, with eight minutes left. Muhammed downed his sixth triple, but he didn't find any help around. Roberts answered with a fast break layup and a three-pointer by McLean caused Fenerbahce to call timeout at 81-59. Fenerbahce kept trying, but Olympiacos was well on its way to a very convincing win.

Head Coaches

SFAIROPOULOS, IOANNIS

Olympiacos Piraeus

"I want to congratulate our players because today they played with heart. They gave their maximum in every aspect of the game. They fought for every ball on defense and offense, for every rebound and every dead ball. We started the game really well, having Spanoulis in a great leading period, but it was not only him. All the players that started the game were really focused and I don't want to leave somebody out of the picture. They put the rules of the game, let's say the rules, defensively and offensively. We had a great first quarter and it was obvious that Fenerbahce would react. They cut down the point difference, but we were still controlling the rhythm of the game. I think that, in the second half, we saw a great team effort, defensively and offensively. All the players supported our team's game. They sacrificed themselves for the team and gave everything. I am very happy that all 12 players helped the team win this game tonight. We needed one good game, one very good game like we had today, not only to get the win, but to get 'psychological' points. We continue; the EuroLeague is very difficult, and it needs everybody to be tough mentally. It is the same way if you lose and if you have a big win, to know how to handle the situation and continue to be humble and work hard. I want to thank our fans for their support tonight. We need the gym to be full in the last home games that we will have and, with their voices, help the team get more wins."

OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO

Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul

"First of all, I want to congratulate Olympiacos for a very good game that they played tonight. I was sure that they would start very aggressive after all the problems that they have and it was like that. They played very aggressive and scored everything in the first quarter; that was the key of the game, of course. So, they deserved to win. In our life, during the season, you have good moments and bad moments; it is part of the game. This is understandable, but honestly, what I don't understand is the way we played today. We were not in the game, didn't try to fight and of course, always, in a situation like that, the responsibility is for the coach. We probably have to try to find a reaction, all of us, and to try that what happened tonight never happens again, because one more time, you can play bad, but if you don't fight, especially in the beginning of the game, that's it."

Players

SPANOULIS, VASSILIS

Olympiacos Piraeus

"We respect our opponent, but first we respect ourselves. We wanted to react, we did it with Panathinaikos, unfortunately we lost, but we had a pretty good game. We managed to do it again with a good reaction and good result. We have to work hard. The season is long."